Originally sent October 26
Classmates, we're a busy bunch! [that's a good thing]. The 'news' continues to roll in and the list of recipients continues to grow! Other than losses of classmates, enjoy!
I am so very sorry to report that our '59 classmate Karen Dennison passed on Sunday Oct. 24. Karen has had health problems for some years. So very happy she could be with us for our 50th reunion in October of 2009. A grave side service will be at 11:00am, Monday November 1, at Sunset Memorial Gardens (west Lawton). It is suggested that any remembrance be sent to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.
Services handled by Becker Funeral Home: http://www.beckerfuneral.com/
This past week I received news that '56 classmate, John Larry Overby, passed on April 1, 2004. At the time, some at least were not aware of John's passing, the 'news' was in infancy, so I am sending this information along so those in Johns class - as well as others - will know. John married a MI native, Constance Joan (Quigley), in 1967. He was a career Army artillery officer, retiring in 1980 as Lt. Colonel. His two children, Linda and Larry, both graduated in Lawton - MacArthur.
John has two sisters, Betty Overby Marcum, who is LHS class '60 and an older sister who attended LHS for a while but did not graduate, Josephine. Connie is retired as a nurse in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service and lives in Georgia.
I appreciate Betty and Connie for sending this information.
From the eMail bag.......
The LHS class 1962 is already beginning the [big] job of locating classmates for their 50th reunion in 2012. IF you are or know of, a '62 grad, please contact Kay (Thompson) Macleary at: <> or email Geneva (Harris) McIntosh at:
And, a novel idea.....a reunion of ALL those who attended WHITTIER Grade School between 1950 - 1956. All went on to become LHS grads. Sunday, November 7, 2:00pm, Old Plantation at Medicine Park. Husbands, wives, kids, grandkids are ALL welcome. For more information or to let 'them' know you are attending, contact Mary Ann (Ashlock) at:
Classmate Minette Page helped with guided tours to the public of the old high school/central building last week. The city has been moving in and from number of cars around the building now, seems OPEN for business! Building looks great and most classes returning 'home' for reunions have had opportunity to tour the Lawton landmark.
"I am home from eastern Europe. Much more beautiful than I expected. Poland was a treasure and the food is great. Minsk is a beautiful city. No graffiti. Had the best chicken Kiev in Kiev that I have ever had. Romania and Transylvania are wonderful. I got to go to Dracula's castle. Great. Slovakia, Checks Republic and Germany all great, especially the cruise down the Rhine. A castle about every mile. Only two of the countries ( Slovakia and Germany) use the euro. All the others were down right cheap. Glad I went. One of my best trips."
Dan Glascock, '59
'59 classmate Willie Guest is President of the local chapter NAACP and recently joined Cameron University President Cindy Ross in presenting awards at the Annual Freedom Fund Banquet.
Someone asking if anyone knows whereabouts of Sandra 'Sandy' Tilson, who would have been class 1960...BUT moved after Junior year or maybe shortly after start of Senior year! Anybody?
[referencing the recent picture] "Kay, Connie, Myrna Kay and Yvonne were my classmates. I was also at St. Anthony's with Kay till an awful bout with strep throat cut short my attempted nursing career. I did not have the opportunity to go back and wondered if she in fact stayed in school there. I guess these things happen for a reason as I liked my job at Ft. Sill and working with John Denny and also the Red Barn. I'm fortunate to be within short driving range of Gwen Patterson Carle, Norma Curry Gardner and Charlotte Magill. Get to see Sue Grimes Ott and Barbara Cunningham Keys and sometimes Marilyn Morris when in Lawton. It's so great that we all can stay close to friends. The internet helps a lot."
Frankie (Ingraham) Kinderman
More Lawton memories and comments.....
"As an aside, I remember the director of "The Lawton Story" flying in on his private airplane (a Lockheed Hudson) and parking it at the Johnson flying service where I worked. He offered me a $100 to wash down the airplane. I passed because it would have taken me a week to do it by myself. They were there for a week while filming parts of the movie. I never got to go out to watch the filming or the pageant because I was working all the time. Holding down three jobs was the pits! The crew I ran with were Wayne Walker, Reese Russell, Gary Star.
We worked all five Lawton Theatres including the Drive in on Cache road. I worked at the airport for flying time and had flown over 30 different aircraft by the time I turned 17. What a blast. I also got a bunch of people interested in the Civil Air Patrol and one of them was Floyd Porter. He learned to fly and logged as much flying time as I did in the Air Force. I retired from the Air Force in 1977 with twenty years of service. Flew B-52's and FB-111's and pulled a tour in Viet Nam. Had a great life so far. 5 Kids, 18 grandkids and 4 great grandkids. so much for a short history on Ron Poole."
Ron Poole
"I remember La Sill's because it was within a few blocks of where we lived and it was there that I first saw a bank check written..I was in the second grade at Emerson Elementary and our teacher marched us to La Sill's. We didn't know where we were going but we followed. What a surprise.... She treated us to an ice cream cone of our choosing, absolutely unbelievable for those times. She wrote on this piece of paper and the attendant accepted it for payment. There were about 20 or so in the class so the check must have been about a dollar plus......what a memory."
Ed Hessler, '52
"Well, a lot of the things remembered about La Sills are probably true( tainted by time), but I can assure that a lot of local icons worked there. The Aldridge family AB, "Pop" (the dad) started with my dad in 1940, then Bill, Darrel, Bob, AB, Jimmy, and Wicky. I know Darrell and Bill worked for several years and my dad thought the world of them (AB,the son, was a grouchy kid so my dad fired him) (just kidding A.B.) Jimmy,as I recall, worked with his dad and Smitty (Ed Smith,the great guy in charge of making the ice cream) and probably Darrel in the production area. Wicky,as I knew him,was about 4 or 5 and his job was to come over each a.m.and pick up the trash (well,maybe Wicky was 7 or 8; there were no child labor laws and La Sill jobs kept a lot of kids out of trouble). I ran across some photographs that were on the wall for the last few years that we began having made at the end of each summer from about 1967 through 73 or 74 of the fountain help that made it through the summer. I will get the same computer enhanced and send for your photo gallery in the next few weeks (Roy House and my nephew, Bill Dudley Kilpatrick were the only little kids I ever tried to drown). I couldn't sign off without mentioning other families at La Sills - the Daytons, Darrel, Bobby, and Neal and the Smiths Bob, David, Mike, and Terry. All quality young workers . My dad and I and Dudley and his mother (my sister) were lucky to be associated with them and many, many other employees at La Sills.
Allen Johnson, '54
"My wife and I live in Norman (go to the same church as coach Bodenhamer). We live about 2 1/2 miles from the epicenter of the Wednesday (OCT 13) earthquake. We have felt lots of earthquakes in California, including the Northridge quake. But, this one was the loudest one I have ever experienced. The house shook for a few seconds,
followed by what sounded and felt like an explosion. Then there was a rumble that resembled the effect of a washing machine on spin cycle that is out of balance magnified by a large factor.
I graduated in the class of 1958. My brother Walt graduated in 1957. My sister Mary Ann
graduated in 1955. My sister died in 1995. All of us went to Woodrow Wilson."
Charley Crabtree
"You should have been in Norman---actually shook the walls of Adams Hall (the business school building at OU) Which was built with real concrete and steel."
Ken Gross, '59
"I want to share some wonderful pics and memories of a visit I had recently with some old friends from back in the day. Otto Martinez and brother Eddie Martinez and his wife Inez came to the East coast to visit their daughter Lisa Archibeque in Alexandria, Virginia. Lisa was giving a concert in D.C. at the Casa Italiana celebrating their Columbus Day Celebration. It was an operetta of many familiar Italian songs that were performed by a company led by a truly gifted maestro. It was a dynamic performance by Eddie's daughter and Otto's niece. She has a beautiful soprano voice that was mentioned in an article in the Washington Post in 2008. It was a lovely evening that my husband and I enjoyed and were so touched by the invitation from old friends."
Karen (Choney) Culloty, '59
Picture above: l-r: Lisa's husband Vince, Lisa, Mom Inez, Eddie and Otto Martinez
I receive so many great pictures. I can't always use all of them in the news but I do plan and am working toward a file for all the pictures I have received. Will eventually be available at the blog. So...meanwhile...say 'cheese'!!!!
Still working on reunion(s) re-cap but this is all the news for now.........Georgia
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